The Seattle Mariners are set to host the 2023 MLB All-Star Weekend at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington.
The exciting news was reported by Jeff Passan from ESPN and later confirmed by Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish. But, there has been no confirmation by neither the MLB nor the Mariners that this is actually happening. However, the Mariners’ Twitter page did make a post this morning that mentions a “major announcement” at 1PM today that may have a correlation with the claims by ESPN and the Seattle Times. If that wasn’t a hint at the possible 2023 midsummer classic return to T-Mobile Park, then the MLB Commissioner, Rob Manfred, being in Seattle for the team’s major announcement certainly is.
Image Via @Mariners on Instagram
Choosing the All-Star Weekend Host
Traditionally, the selection of the hosts for All-Star Weekend is based on a rotation. This allows each team to have an opportunity to host the midsummer event. However, the past ten years have given us a bit of a different process for the selection. Now, teams need to send a bid and presentation to the MLB to host the now three-day event that includes the game, home run derby, and the new futures game. These proposals are detailed in nature, including information about hotels needed for staff and players, sites for off-field activities and events, and even the city infrastructure to handle the entire three-day event.
Seattle Mariners All-Stars 2001
The last time the Seattle Mariners hosted an All-Star game, was back in 2001. At the time, they debuted the first legends/celebrity softball game, and the High School All-American Game didn’t exist yet. In addition, the stadium name at the time was Safeco Field. Safeco Insurance opted out of a renewal contract on naming rights and T-Mobile took over in December of 2018.
All-Star Events In Cannabis Friendly States
One new aspect of the MLB is cannabis. These All-Star Weekends can now be in states where cannabis is legal. Also, the MLB removed cannabis from its list of banned substances in 2019. All-Star Weekend 2016 was just months before legalization, and then was legal during the 2018 events in Washington DC. However, even if cannabis was legal in San Diego at that time, both events wouldn’t see sales of cannabis because of the laws surrounding sales. In DC it is legal to possess, cultivate, and gift cannabis, but not to sell or purchase.
Additionally, though a state may legalize the sale of cannabis, doesn’t mean it will have regulations set right away to regulate sales. This year in Colorado was the first year the All-Star Weekend took place in a state that legally sells adult-use, recreational cannabis. With next year being in LA and the following being in Seattle, could local cannabis sales be a big part of attracting more fans to MLB All-Star events? How does the MLB fit into the future of the cannabis industry?
Regardless of the new stadium name, new laws, and new norms, Seattle will see the city morale being as high as it was 20 years ago.
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